WASHINGTON, D.C. – 19 Jun, 2017 – RTVI, Russian-language independent television network headquartered in the USA, has announced a global relaunch today. The channel, which positions itself as an alternative to Russia’s state controlled TV, will now have revamped programming that includes new live political talk shows, quality entertainment content and expanded live news broadcasts.

“It is a whole new concept of international Russian TV that we are implementing. It is something that has never been done before in the ethnic Russian markets. RTVI’s mission is to deliver riveting, timely and compelling news, public affairs and entertainment content to millions of Russian speakers around the world in their native language,” said Alexei Pivovarov, RTVI’s Chief Executive Producer.

Viewers can expect a new lineup of TV shows including “Zdes i Tam” – a live TV public affairs show linking studio guests in Washington and Moscow, “Karaoke s Parfenovym,” – a music trivia show hosted by one of Russia’s most respected journalists Leonid Parfenov, and “Shob Ya Tak El,” – a reality TV cooking show featuring boisterous members of Russian-American community and celebrity chefs.

RTVI will also feature a new and improved schedule of entertainment programming with popular series like “Major,” “Liquidatziya” and “Fartza”, and feature films such as “Legend No. 17,” “Turkish Gambit” and “Admiral.”

In addition, RTVI is introducing a new digital platform, which provides multiple content subscriber entry points thus expanding reach to broader audiences. With an innovative Your Personal Host (YPH) system, news stories will be available to watch on demand – RTVI’s star anchors and show hosts will tell the audience the latest. This option will add a personal touch to the news content and strengthen interpersonal communication between the channel and its viewers.

By RTVI’s estimates, its potential audience can reach 50 million households worldwide in the next three years. By the end of 2018 RTVI management hopes to raise the number of its digital platform users to 15 million per month, which would allow RTVI to get into the top 5 most cited Russian media on the Internet.

Just last month RTVI announced an agreement with Verizon, which will allow FIOS customers to join 25 million RTVI viewers from around the globe and enjoy latest news, entertainment and public affairs programming in Russian language.

Media contacts:

Nikita Stepanov, RTVI: 202-568-2762

Max Smetannikov, MVG (for RTVI): 202-669-8549

With studios in New York, Tel-Aviv and Moscow, and bureaus in Washington D.C., Berlin and Kiev, RTVI broadcasts and streams content to audiences in U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K., Israel, Ukraine and Russia, among other countries. Fundamental values of the RTVI brand are objectivity, immediacy, openness, accessibility and on top of all, unity, helping Russian-speakers from different countries find common ground through a channel that shares their language, culture and beliefs.